


Rubble

by marineduo (spiralxshock)



Series: Helmeppo's no good, very bad luck [3]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Blood, Injury, once again helmeppo is just not having a good time
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-19
Updated: 2020-10-19
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:02:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 851
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27093247
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spiralxshock/pseuds/marineduo
Summary: Everything had happened so fast. Hell, he wasn’t even entirely sure what happened. One minute he was checking out a building with Tashigi, the next they were buried under its remains. Helmeppo had taken the worst of it. As everything began to fall he’d pushed his friend to the ground, covering her as best he could. That’s how they were now. Helmeppo on his hands and knees, rubble pressing down on him and metal rod through his shoulder, and Tashigi curled up beneath him and coughing from the settling dust.
Relationships: Helmeppo & Tashigi
Series: Helmeppo's no good, very bad luck [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1975567
Kudos: 2





	Rubble

**Author's Note:**

> Takes place towards the end of the timeskip.

“Tashigi? You ok?”

“I… I think so. You?”

“No.” The adrenaline coursing through Helmeppo might have dulled the pain, but he wasn’t stupid enough to not notice his injuries. There wasn’t much he could do about it, though.

Everything had happened so fast. Hell, he wasn’t even entirely sure  _ what _ happened. One minute he was checking out a building with Tashigi, the next they were buried under its remains. Helmeppo had taken the worst of it. As everything began to fall he’d pushed his friend to the ground, covering her as best he could. That’s how they were now. Helmeppo on his hands and knees, rubble pressing down on him and metal rod through his shoulder, and Tashigi curled up beneath him and coughing from the settling dust.

Already his arms were shaking, shoulder aching around the ridged metal that had gone through. 

“Did the rebar hit you?”

“Rebar?” Confusion. That was good. She would have known if had. “Is there a piece of- oh. I think I found it. It’s… wet?”

Helmeppo hissed as her hand met the wound in his shoulder. 

“Oh- oh shit.”

Helmeppo gave a weak laugh, rubble shifting as his arms briefly buckled. 

“Don’t… Don’t let Smoker hear you.” 

“This isn’t the time to joke! We’re stuck here, and you’re- well, you’re…”

They fell quiet, the darkness only filled with their ragged breathing. Helmeppo’s shoulder was starting to ache as his arms shook, adrenaline slowly being replaced with the determination to keep his friend safe. He couldn’t let himself fail. Not yet. Not when someone else’s life depended on him. 

“Is there any way I can help?” Tashigi asked, voice soft. 

“Don’t suppose you can cut us out of here.”

“No… There’s no room to get Shigure out, and even if I could…”

She wouldn’t be able to do anything without hurting him. She didn’t say it, but he knew it was true. They were too close. Not that it mattered, with how things were going he’d likely end up dead anyways. 

With a shudder, his arms gave out. He let out a wail as he slid further down the rebar, elbows hitting the ground hard. The rubble shifted once again, making catching his breath hard after his wound was so violently disturbed. If it had been smooth, maybe it wouldn’t have hurt so much, but each raised bit only made the motion more painful. 

“Helmeppo!” Her voice was frantic.

“I’m-” Helmeppo coughed, tears filling his eyes. The effort was overwhelming. He couldn’t keep it up much longer. Not with the paint. Not with the weight pressing down on him. A finger pressed briefly against his lips.

“Shh. I- I think I hear someone.” 

He did his best to focus through the haze. She was right. There were voices. Distant, but there.

“I’m going to scream. Is that ok?”

The determination in her voice was honestly a relief to hear. She had a plan, and he just had to trust her. But… He wasn’t sure if he could hold up with such loud noise on top of everything.

“I… I don’t know… if I’ll be able to…”

“You will. And I can help. Just trust me. It’s our best chance.”

“Ok.”

He felt her hands on his face, pressing over his ears as she began to scream. It wasn’t perfect, but the noise was bearable. 

Eventually the rubble began shifting again, this time getting lighter instead of heavier. It was a sweet relief. Not ideal yet, but more than enough after being stuck for who knows how long. His arms were still shaking, though, and he silently hoped that they’d hurry. Soon he felt an agonizing pull, the large piece of ceiling on his back shifting and the metal pole getting pulled back through his shoulder.

He screamed, and so did Tashigi, begging them to stop as he bit his lip and tried not to be sick. It seemed they heard her, as the chunk of ceiling stopped moving. It became lighter as pieces were broken off, blinding light filtering into the once-dark trap. There was one last jolt in his shoulder as a loud crack came from above, the last of the weight disappearing and pole remaining in his shoulder. 

Helmeppo slumped sideways and away from Tashigi. The light was blinding after being in the darkness, but he could see the red on her hand. Blood. His blood. Smoker was by her side in moments, helping her out of the hole. He just watched, unmoving and eyes half closed as exhaustion hit him.

“Helmeppo, can you hear me? Are you ok?” Despite the worry in Coby’s voice, it was still comforting to hear.

“Coby…” He looked up at his friend without moving, his expression a weak glare. “Do I look ok.”

Coby gave him a slight smile.

“Yeah, good point.”

He let his eyes close. Maybe it wasn’t the best idea in his current state, but the ship’s doctor could berate him for it later. For now he let the exhaustion pull him into unconsciousness, comfortable in the fact that he and Tashigi were safe.


End file.
